08/28/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/28/2024 11:23
$600 Million Investment Aimed at Enhancing Grid Resiliency and Reducing Outages
Today, Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP) filed its first System Resiliency Plan (SRP) with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). If approved, the plan will see TNMP invest approximately $600 million over a three-year period to enhance the resiliency of its transmission and distribution system, starting from the anticipated approval period of 2025 through 2027.
TNMP, an electricity transmission and distribution service provider, serves over 270,000 homes and businesses throughout Texas within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) control area. The company's service territory spans four non-contiguous areas with diverse geographical and climatic characteristics, covering everything from small communities and rural areas to communities around large metropolitan areas, such as Lewisville, and several suburban communities south of Houston.
"TNMP is committed to ensuring a resilient power delivery system for our customers," said Neal Walker, President of TNMP. "Over the past five years, we have invested significantly in system hardening and modernization. This System Resiliency Plan is a crucial step in our ongoing efforts to provide reliable electricity to the diverse communities we serve."
The SRP outlines measures to mitigate risks from extreme weather events, tropical storms, wildfires, cybersecurity threats, and physical security threats. The development and implementation of these resiliency measures are designed to proactively address potential outage causes, substantially reduce outage minutes, and better serve both new and existing customers.
Key resiliency measures identified in the SRP include wildfire risk mitigation, grid security enhancements, vegetation management, and the expanded deployment of smart grid technologies. These investments are expected to enable TNMP's system to better withstand and recover more quickly from extreme weather and other risk impacts, reduce infrastructure damage, decrease equipment failure and storm-recovery costs, improve customer restoration times, and ultimately lower long-term costs for customers by avoiding expensive emergency repairs.
The plan is broken into eight different measures:
1. Distribution System Resiliency
2. Distribution System Protection Modernization
3. Vegetation Management
4. Wildfire Mitigation
5. Flood Mitigation
6. Enhanced Operations System Technology
7. Cybersecurity
8. Physical Security
About TNMP:
TNMP is a leading electricity transmission and distribution service provider, committed to delivering reliable and resilient power to over 270,000 homes and businesses across Texas. With a focus on innovation and sustainability, TNMP is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the communities it serves.
Media Contact:
Sara Yingling
TNMP Communications